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Three drone thefts have taken place in recent days from Dallas to Tyler. But it’s not just in Texas –- over the past three months, thousands of dollars in drones have been stolen across the country.
Al Cannan lost big. His R.C. Zone hobby store in Plano was hit a week ago last Friday. The suspect left and then went back for more.
“It was targeted towards the drones because they're the highest-dollar thing we have in the store right now and it’s also the most popular,” said Cannan.
The drones draw -- they are the new thrill, impacting users the same way a remote control car or boat may have a generation ago.
At Remote Control Hobbies North Dallas, some are taking off from the Richardson store in the worse possible way.
Last Wednesday at 3 a.m., a drone hijacker broke the store’s glass front doors and went straight for the highest-dollar goods.
“He knew exactly, like he almost had a shopping list,” said store owner John Hinton.
The suspect has clearly been in the store before and grabs the goods and is gone in under 20 seconds.
The theft took a big hit on Hinton.
“When they hit small, family-owned businesses like ours, they're hurting our families,” he said. “They’re not hurting a corporation.”
Al Cannan has learned not to put his drone supply on display.
“You'll notice that I only have one of each out there,” he said. “My extras are locked up somewhere else, so I won’t lose big like that again. Shame on me the first time…shame on them the next time.”
Drones are anticipated to be a big seller this holiday season, both in stores and for crooks on the streets.